Andrew Mangiapane scored the go-ahead objective with 3:37 remaining within the third interval because the Washington Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 in Recreation 4 of their first-round playoff sequence on Sunday.
Mangiapane picked up a drop cross on the blue line earlier than ripping a shot previous Jakub Dobes glove aspect to offer the Capitals a commanding 3-1 lead within the best-of-seven matchup.
Brandon Duhaime scored twice, together with an empty-net objective with 2:39 left, whereas Dylan Strome had a objective and an help for Washington, which trailed 2-1 getting into the third interval. Tom Wilson added a second empty-netter.
The Capitals additionally gained Video games 1 and a couple of at house.
Logan Thompson made 16 saves after exiting with an damage late in Recreation 3. Teammate Dylan Strome crashed into Thompson on Montreal’s fifth objective Friday, and the Capitals’ starter wanted to be helped off the ice.
Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky replied for Montreal, whereas Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov produced two assists apiece.
Dobes stopped 21 pictures in his first profession playoff begin. The 23-year-old from Czechia changed injured starter Sam Montembeault halfway by means of the second interval in Recreation 2. Montembeault is taken into account day-to-day with a lower-body damage.
The Canadiens defeated the Capitals 6-3 in a chaotic Recreation 3 — the primary playoff recreation earlier than a full Bell Centre since 2017 — that featured a bench brawl and each beginning goalies sustaining accidents.
Duhaime tied the sport 2-2 at 6:39 of the third interval after some lucky bounces from his shot along with the online. The objective adopted a large hit from Capitals heavy hitter Wilson on defenceman Alexandre Service, who later exited the sport.
Montreal gained the particular groups battle, going 2-for-4 on the ability play whereas killing off 5 penalties — together with a 44-second 5-on-3 within the second interval off two debatable calls.
Dobes stretched out for a spectacular blocker save on John Carlson to assist kill the two-man benefit.
Slafkovsky then tied the sport on the ability play at 10:33 of the second, ending a silky feed from Demidov and a secondary help from Hutson — combining for a median age of 20.33 on the objective.
Caufield made it 2-1 at 18:32 with one other power-play objective, squeaking a one-timer previous Thompson to boost the Bell Centre’s roof.
Energized by the Recreation 3 win, hundreds of rabid followers packed the streets exterior the Bell Centre. These contained in the constructing — together with former Canadien defenceman P.Ok. Subban — drowned out public handle announcer Michel Lacroix and delayed the nationwide anthems with “Go! Habs Go!” and “Ole, Ole, Ole!” chants.
After a sloppy first interval, Strome capitalized on a few Canadiens errors to open the scoring 1:25 into the second.
Hutson turned the puck over to Anthony Beauvillier, resulting in a partial break. Then Dobes misplayed it, hesitating to freeze the puck and letting it bounce off his pad, and Strome was there to bury it with a backhand.
Recreation 5 goes Wednesday at Capital One Enviornment in Washington.
Getting the decision
The Canadiens recalled netminder Cayden Primeau from American Hockey League affiliate Laval to function Dobes’s backup. Primeau, who started the season in Montreal earlier than getting despatched down in December, rushed to the Bell Centre on Friday after Montembeault exited the sport.
Primeau wasn’t on the roster earlier than 5 p.m., that means he wouldn’t have been eligible to play. Native police officer Patrick Cheverfils crammed in as an emergency backup.
“I do not know the logistics of something, unsure I might have been in a position for use or whatnot,” he mentioned. “Simply needed to ensure I used to be right here.”
Wilson’s crybaby gesture
Wilson went viral on social media for making a crybaby gesture towards the Canadiens after he and Josh Anderson brawled on Washington’s bench in Recreation 2. Wilson specified Sunday morning that his taunts weren’t directed on the whole workforce.
“It was for one man,” he advised reporters. “I am not gonna say who, however he is aware of who it was and clearly the digicam was proper on me, so I suppose I ought to in all probability simply shut up typically.
“Feelings get excessive.”
After a dramatic and typically nail-biting last few video games of the season, Montreal Canadiens followers can now get excited for the playoffs, becoming a member of Montreal Victoire followers and marking the primary time two skilled hockey groups within the metropolis have certified for the playoffs on the identical time.
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